Cotton gin and renovator



6 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. M. GROOKER.

COTTON GIN AND RENOVATOR.

No. 418,111. Patented Dec. 24, 1889.

N. PETERS Pnomumo m. Washington, 1101 m0 Model.) 1 e SheetsSheet 3 A. M.CROOKER. GOTTON GIN AND RENOVATOR- No. 418,111. Patented Dec. 24, 1889.

. .INVEIJTIJ (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 A. M. OROOKER. COTTON GIN ANDRENOVATOR.

No. 418,111. Patented Dec. 24, 1889.

Wrrrl 55555 (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet; 5. A. M. OROOKER. GOTTON GIN ANDRENOVATOR.

No. 418,111. Patented Dec. 24, 1889.

O O Q Q O g IHVEN'T'EI 0 0 O O O Q O O O O O G O O O O O O O O O O O O OO O O O 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O oo o o 0 0 o 080 o o WITH EEEEE flfiw.

(No Model.) 6 Shets-Sheet s. A. M. GROOKER.

COTTON GIN AND RENOVATOR.

No. 418,111. Patented Dec. 24, 1889.

II'll,II'I'I'I'IlIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'IIII'III'I'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII- WITHI 55as UNITEf) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED M. CROOKER, OF WVATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

COTTON GIN AND RENOVAT'OR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 418,111, dated December24, 1889.

Application filed August 13, 1889.

' other fibrous materials which have heretofore required severalseparate machines to produce clean stock ready for the manufacture ofVarious kinds of textile fabrics.

To this end my invention relates to a machine comprising a series ofbeater-rolls having flattened teeth adapted to produce an aircurrent andact in conjunction with stationary pins placed within a casingsurrounding said beater-rolls, so as to separate the cotton fibers fromseeds, dirt, and extraneous substances and convey the fibers to acondensing-cylinder, while the seeds and dirt are permitted to fallthrough a stationary screen forming the bottom of said casing and pro-Vided with smooth circular perforations so arranged that fibers will notadhere to or clog the same. The machine also comprises an inclinedoscillatory screen suspended beneath the stationary screen for thepurpose of separating the cotton-seed from dirt or sand, and .a pair ofcoarse -fiuted rolls to which the bat is delivered from. thecondensing-cylinder, and which hold the fibers while combed or cardedbya picker-cylinder, from which the cleaned fibers are taken by awire-gauze-covered cylinder and carried beneath a pressure=roll and overa delivery. or wipe roll to the exit end of the machine, the cotton orother fibers being thus ginned, cleaned, or renovated and formed into abat in one continuous operation.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1representsa longitudinal vertical central section of a machineconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a planview of the machine, the top casing being removed in order to show themechanism beneath. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of the same. Fig.4 represents a similar View of the opposite side of the ma- Serial No.820,649. (No model.)

chine. Fig. 5 represents a perspective view of one of the series ofbeater-rolls removed and drawn on an enlarged scale. Fig. 6 represents aplan View of aportion of one screen formed of perforated sheet metal.Fig. 7 represents an edge elevation of the same after being bent orcorrugated to fit the upper edge of the supporting-frame shown beneaththe screen in the same figure. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 represent details ofdetached portions of the machine drawn on an enlarged scale, ashereinafter more fully described.

A represents the main frame of the machine, and B represents asheet-metalor other desired cover, capping, or top case bent orcorrugated, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to conform somewhat to the seriesof beater-rolls 1, 2, 3, 4., 5, and 6, the journals of which havesuitable bearings upon the said frame A, which frame is inclosed orcased in upon both sides and ends down to the floor or bottom, as shown.Each beater-roll in the series is provided with teeth 0, which extendradially therefrom in lines extending longitudinally of the roll and atuniform distances apart, and the ends of the teeth are flattened in thedirection of the axis of the rolls, so as to serve the double purpose ofbeater and suc tion blade or fan to draw or suck the fiber through themachine as it is beaten. Now, as the fiber as it is acted upon by eachbeater-roll becomes more loose and fiuffy, it is important that thesuction of the second beater-roll should be greater than that of thefirst, and so on throughout the entire series of six beater-rolls, inorder that the successive chambers or spaces around the heaters may notbecome filled and clogged by the cotton; hence the blades of thebeater-rolls are successively wider throughout the series, the last orsixth one having the points or fiattened ends of its beater-teeth cthree times as wide as those of the first one, (more or less,) asdesired. In practice I have also found it desirable and conducive to thebest results to impart to the heaters successively increased speeds, soas to facilitate the forward feed of the cotton.

Below the series of beater-rolls is a screen D. This, preferably, ismade of perforated IOO sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 6, and bent to theshape shown in Fig. 1 and represented in Figs. 1 and 6. The perforationsin the sheetmetal screen D, being round and smooth, will not catch thefiber and clog up.

WVithin the case of the machine is arranged an inclined oscillatingscreen Gr, suspended by the vertical pivoted support-rods E and actuated by means of the shaft F, carrying eccentrics F, that areconnected to the screenframe by the actuating-rods H or other desiredmeans, so that all heavy dirt and seeds that pass through the upperperforated screen D shallfall upon this inclined oscillating screen G,and thereby separate the dirt from theseeds, which will fall off at thelower end of the screen, while the dirt will pass through the wire-gauzescreen, instead of the fiber and dirt going off all together. The fluffyfiber as it leaves beater-roll 6 of the series is, by means of thefan-blower I, sucked or drawn against the outside of the revolvingwiregauze drum or condensing-cylinder J, which carries it downward uponthe endless slat belt K beneath the said drum J, which flattens it outinto a bat or loose sheet, the latter being delivered to the pair ofcoarsefluted rolls L, the upper one of which is made vertically movableby means of suitable boxes or bearings and spiralsprings (Z. (See- Figs.8 and 9.) The hat or sheet is then carried between the pair offiner-fluted rolls L, the upper one of which is vertically movable, andis held down on thelower one by similar or otherdesired means, in orderto hold the fibers firmly between these two sets or pairs of flutedrolls L L. The fibers passing between the fine-fiuted pair of rolls Lare held firmly therein by the pressure-springs a, and as the saidfibers pass through slowly they are caught and acted upon or 'combed outby the needle-pointed teeth 0, projecting radially from the large rotarypicker or drumcard or cylinder M, and any lumps or bunches are throwndownward through the opening 0 and fall to the bottom of the machine.The cleaned renovated fibers pass beneath the cylinder, picker, orrotary drum-card M, and are caught therefrom by the largewire-gauzecovered cylinder P, and carried upward oven the same andbeneath the presser-roll R, which forms a hat or batting, and thence outof the machine over the small corrugated delivery or wipe roll S, asshown at the righthand end of the machine. The fiber to be acted upon,cleaned, and renovated is placed upon the endless slatted-belt carrierT, and passes between the feed-rolls U, the upper one of said rollshaving bearings provided with pressure-springs V, as shown at the lefthand of Fig. 1. A portion of the belt-carrier T is broken off.

The series of beater-rolls, endless belts, aprons, drums, cylinders,feed rolls, fluted rolls, eccentrics, and all rotary, moving, and

operating parts above described, and illustrated in the drawings, may bedriven by means of belts and pulleys or gear-wheels and pinions, asshown, or in any other suitable manner.

The shaft of beater-roll 1 is provided with the main driving-pulley Aand is rotated by ,a belt from a counter-shaft overhead. The

opposite end of the shaft of beater-roll 1 is provided with a pulley Bwhich pulley is connected by a belt C with the pulley D on the end ofthe shaft of beater-roll 2, the opposite end of which is provided withthe pulley E which pulley is connected to the pulley F by the straightbelt G F is a gear-wheel, which drives the gear H of the endlessfeedapron or slatted-belt carrier T. The gears 6 con the shafts of thefeed-rolls U are also rotated by the said gear F, as shown. The pulley Don the shaft of beater-roll 2 has also a belt 1 which drives the pulleyJ on the end of the shaft of beater-roll 3, this pulley J 2 carryingalso the belt K which passes around the pulley L on the end of the shaftof beater-r0114, which pulley L also has a belt M which connects withpulley N on the shaft of beaterroll 5, the opposite end of whichbeater-roll is provided with asmallbelt-pulley 0 around which passesbelt P down to the large beltpulley R on the shaft F of the eccentricsE", which oscillate the inclined screen G. The pulley N carries across-belt S which passes around the pulley T on the end of the shaft ofbeater-roll 6, the said pulley T carrying also a straight belt U whichpasses around the pulley V On the same shaft as pulley V is a gear-wheelV which gear V 'meshes with the gear t', the said gear t' driving gearsr r r 1, provided on the ends of the shafts of the fluted rolls L L. Itwill be seen and understood that this arrangement of driving mechanismmay be varied.

The shaft of the scratcher or picker cylinder M is provided with adriving-pulley A and is driven by a belt from a counter-shaft overhead,and the opposite end of the shaft of the scratcher or picker cylinder Mis provided with a belt-pulley B over which passes downwardly the belt Caround the large pulley D on the auxiliary speed-shaft E which is alsoprovided with a small belt-pulley F carrying the belt G which passesupward around the belt-pulley H on the end of the shaft of the largegauze cylinder J. The 0pposite end of the auxiliary speed-shaft E isprovided with a belt-pulley 1 around which passes the crossed belt Jextending up* wardly to the belt-pulley K on the shaft of the blower I.This auxiliary speed-shaft E is also provided with a smaller belt-pulleyL over which passes the crossed belt M upwardly and around the largepulley N on the end of the shaft of the said large wire-gauze coveredcylinder P. The said shaft of the cylinder P has also a smallbelt-pulley P over which passes the belt R around the pulley S on theend of the shaft of the corrugated delivery'or Wipe r011 S at the end ofthe machine, as shown.

It will be evident that the above-described manner and arrangement ofbelts and beltpulleys and gear-wheels, together with eccentrics foractuating the various parts of the machine, as above described, may bechanged or varied to suit different kinds of stock or fiber beingoperated upon.

If desirable, a series of pins Y may be attached to the cover B, andextending within the circle of the movement of the teeth or blades onthe beater-rolls.

The opening 0 is shown some distance forward of the cylinder M; but itslocation may be varied therefrom as desired, and will be governedsomewhat by the quality of stock it is intended to be operated upon bythe n1achine as adapted therefor.

The beater-teeth of the series of cylinders act as fans toimpel thefibers through the machine, for which purpose the teeth are broad attheir free ends and taper in width toward the aXis of each cylinder, asshown.

It will be evident that the current of air caused by the speed of drum Mis suiiicient to cause the fibers as they leave the same to be carriedagainst the cylinder P with a force requisite to effect their lodgmentthereon without the aid of air-suction apparatus being employed for thepurpose.

It will be seen and understood by reference to the drawings that theshafts of beaters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 revolve downward, so as to carry thestock beneath the same and over the surface of the perforatedsheet-metal screen, so

wire-gauze cylinder rotates downward, and the fan I in the oppositedirection, or upward, the toothed or picker cylinder down ward, and thewire-gauze cylinder P in the opposite direction, or upward, as is shown,by means of the several belts and gears illustrated in the annexeddrawings.

Having thus described myinvention, whatI claim is l. A series ofbeater-rolls provided with teeth, the ends of which are flattened in thedirection of the axes of the rolls and increased in width in eachconsecutive roll from the first to the last, substantially as described,and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the wire-gauze cylinder J, fan-blower I, endlessbelt K, and series of beater-rolls, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a series of beaterrolls, of the stationaryscreen D, supported beneath said rolls and provided with circularperforations, the inclined screen G, suspended beneath the stationaryscreen, and means for oscillating the suspended screen, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination, with a casing having the opening 0, of thecorrugated rolls L L, the picker-cylinder M, the wire-gauzereceiving-cylinder P, the presser-roll R, the delivery-roll S, andactuating mechanism for said cylinders and rolls, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, with a pair of feedrolls, of two or morebeater-rolls provided with teeth having flattened ends, means forrotating said beater-rolls, a casing inclosing said rolls andsubstantially conforming to the peripheries thereof, the bottom of saidcasing consisting of a screen formed with circular perforations, acondensing cylinder, and means for exhausting the air from the interiorof said cylinder, substantially as described.

- ALFRED M. CROOKER.

WVitnesses:

SYLvENUs WALKER, WILLIAM: H. PARRY.

